


Stuck in the Middle with You

by oneawkwardcookie



Series: Hot and Cold [1]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: ...twice, F/M, Ficlet, Meet-Cute, Meet-Ugly, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:55:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26894047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oneawkwardcookie/pseuds/oneawkwardcookie
Summary: Sometimes you just have to break into your own house, and hope no-one calls the cops on you!
Relationships: Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han, Maddie Buckley/Howie “Chimney” Han
Series: Hot and Cold [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937338
Comments: 13
Kudos: 8





	1. Clowns to the Left of Me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MaddieandChimney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaddieandChimney/gifts).



> From the following prompt:
> 
> Meet ugly 100. you call the cops on me because you think I’m breaking into your neighbour’s house, but I just moved in and like an idiot, locked myself out, and you won’t listen to me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where Chim gets locked out

The sun is rising as she finally drops into bed, the adrenaline from the night shift having run out about 20 minutes ago. Before she gives in to sleep, she finds herself checking her security app.

That’s when she sees him.

He couldn’t look more suspicious if he was wearing all black and a balaclava, with the way he’s looking around furtively as he shuffles forward, a large duffel bag slung over his shoulder. She flicks between cameras to track him as he walks past her porch. When he falls out of range, she pulls back the curtains, eyes taking a moment to adjust to the golden light before she looks down towards her neighbours.

With another look around the courtyard, the man drops the bag and starts to pull at the half open window, tongue stuck out as one arm rummages around inside.

Yep: _definitely_ not good.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“This is Maddie Buckley, I’m at -”

“Maddie?”

“Josh?”

“Of course it’s you.” He chuckles, before he suddenly gasps. “Maddie are you alright? What happened?”

“I’m alright, it’s just - ” she looks back out through the net curtains “- my neighbour is being burgled.”

She can practically hear the eye-roll over the phone. “Right, sit tight, we’ll send someone over. Go to sleep Mads – I’ll see you on Monday.”

As she sits back onto her bed, she looks over at the cupboard, where she knows there’s a baseball bat gathering dust. She risks another peek out the curtain and sees that… he’s stuck. Either that, or he’s decided to try and rob the place whilst his torso is inside and his legs are up in the air.

As she watches, he stops kicking, and her own instincts kick in. Before she can listen to that voice in her head that sounds a lot like Josh, she’s grabbed the bat and her phone, and is heading downstairs.

“You need a hand?”

He looks back at her through the window, eyes widening a little as he spots the baseball bat clutched in front of her.

“I got locked out.” He dangles his hands either side of his head, an upside down version of surrender. She just stares at him.

“Okay, I deserve that look, but it’s true. I’m renting the place from Mrs. Denton in number 5, and I don’t have a spare key yet because…”

She watches him slump a little and go an even darker shade of red, and she’s about to get nearer or tell him to not put so much pressure on his chest when she realises that the only distress he’s in is extreme embarrassment.

“She was going to give it to me this afternoon.” He brings one hand round to slap his palm over his face, before peeking through his fingers apologetically.

“Okay, before I go and get her, you’re not struggling to breathe, are you?”

“No, I’m good, just… if you don’t mind.” Even if he was a burglar, he’s a surprisingly polite one, and cute too, which is a thought that she quickly shuts down as she goes and knocks on the landlady’s door.

Another 911 call and twenty minutes later, she’s back in her apartment, grateful that the number of burglaries she’d already dealt with that night hadn’t gone up.

There’s a knock on her door and she almost laughs out loud when she sees the man from before, sheepishly waving up at her security camera.

Pulling open her door, she leans against the doorframe. “Got locked out again?”

His hands are shoved in his pockets as he rocks back on his heels. “Nope, not going to do that again. I came over to… apologise, and say thank you, and introduce myself properly.”

He stretches out a hand. “Chimney.”

“…Chimney?” She shakes his hand back, gentle even with the callouses on his fingers.

“Haha yeah, my real name’s Howard but no one really calls me that. You’re going to love how I got the nickname though.” His smile is brighter than the sun behind him.

“I’m sure I will. Um… do you want to come in for some coffee and tell me about it?”

“I’d love to.”


	2. Jokers to the Right

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where Maddie gets locked out

He doesn’t have a shift until the day after tomorrow, so he’s lounging on the sofa, half eaten bowl of popcorn at his feet as the credits roll on Back to the Future 2. As the screen turns black, he rolls himself to his feet, stretching his arms above his head. The room has darkened during his movie marathon, so he makes his way to the windows to close the curtains before he pops in the next DVD.

That’s when he sees her.

Well, half of her. The half that was sticking out of the window, the other half already inside the house next door. As he continues watching, she disappears from his sight with a wriggle.

He’d watched the previous neighbours move out, and there hadn’t been any moving vans, so he’s not quite sure what this cat-burglar expects to find inside. That’s besides the point though.

He’s already dialled 9-1-1 when he rings the doorbell, and is surprised that she answers before they do.

“Hi!” She’s breathless, brown hair tousled and skin flushed as she blocks the doorway, eyes flitting over him. Definitely suspicious.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

He doesn’t tear his eyes away from her as he answers, “I’m reporting a break-in at my neighbours’ house.”

She’s reaching forwards in a panic and he has to duck away to stop her grabbing the phone.

“Wait no, I just moved in and. like an absolute idiot, I’d locked myself out so I just climbed in through the windows.”

He recites the address as she yells out her explanation, and he turns back once he’s hung up to see her shocked expression.

“Did you not hear what I said?” she exclaims, hands on her hips.

“Yep, I did, but I don’t _have_ any new neighbours.” With a crack of gum for emphasis, he sends a pointed look at the empty house behind her, and she glances behind her shoulder before sending him a glare.

“That’s because I… I don’t have a lot of stuff.” She looks hesitant now, and doubts creep in as he looks back into the house and sees that there is something there – a large suitcase, a little worse for wear and stuffed to the brim.

She leans into the house to grab something and comes back with an ID card that she thrusts into his face.

“Madeline Buckley. Nice to meet you?” He’s not sure why the woman has identified herself to him until it’s replaced by a stack of papers – a rental agreement, for the house he’s standing in front of, under the name of -

“Madeline Buckley…”

“Welcome to the neighbourhood?” He gives a weak chuckle, and her returning eye roll is lit up with flashing red lights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos and comments are always appreciated, or come say hi on [Tumblr](https://oneawkwardcookie.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
